Jose Mourinho will not be able to lift the lid on his Manchester United sacking when he returns to work as a pundit this week because of a non-disclosure agreement in his severance deal, a source close to the club has told ESPN FC.

Mourinho is set to make his first public appearance since his dismissal from Old Trafford when he returns to work as a Bein Sports analyst for Thursday's Asian Cup group match between Qatar and Saudi Arabia and the Premier League clash between Arsenal and former club Chelsea on Saturday.

However, he will not be allowed to discuss the circumstances surrounding his departure from United after being gagged by the club as part of his £18 million pay-off.

Mourinho is the third manager sacked by United in the last five years after dismissing David Moyes in 2014 and Louis van Gaal in 2016. Both received pay-offs which included a non-disclosure agreements -- normal procedure in situations such as these -- after the early termination of their contracts.

Mourinho is set to wait until the summer before returning to management.

Sources have told ESPN FC that the 55-year-old is not interested in taking over at Benfica because it is "not the right time" to return to the Portuguese league.

He has been linked with Real Madrid and Inter Milan -- both former clubs -- as well as the Qatar national team job ahead of their home World Cup in 2022.